ExtremeRavens Posted 16 hours ago Posted 16 hours ago Players past and present shuffled into an auditorium Thursday morning in Owings Mills, where the Ravens formally introduced Jesse Minter as their new head coach. The team laid out a literal purple carpet. Minter snapped photos and, at one point, allowed some emotion to seep through when thanking his family. It was a red letter day in the history of Ravens football. Here are three takeaways: Nearing coordinator hires On Jan. 22, the Ravens hired Minter as the organization’s fourth coach. Within a few days, he solidified two hires of his own: defensive backs coach Mike Mickens and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford. The early returns on both are that Minter snagged two of the sport’s preeminent minds at those positions to address groups that faltered in Baltimore this past season. That’s all well and great, but what matters more right now — and what will more directly impact Minter’s success — is who he chooses to fill coordinator positions. Minter declined to reveal any names but said that those searches are “going well” and “far along.” There’s a chance Baltimore has one or multiple coordinator spots filled by the weekend, as Minter tries to get his affairs in order and hit the ground running. Broncos pass game coordinator Davis Webb and Lions wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery are two names reportedly in the mix as potential Ravens offensive coordinators. As for the defense, Minter confirmed that he will be calling the plays. In the search for his right hand man, the Ravens requested to interview Broncos defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard as a potential defensive coordinator. Leonhard played in Baltimore for one season in 2008. The Ravens also completed an interview with Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen. “I’m looking for leaders and connectors and relationship builders and schematic expertise, but most importantly, guys that the players believe in,” Minter said. “[Coaches] that are willing to dive deep and build really strong relationships with the players. I think [we will excel] when they feel that it’s collaborative. “It’s all of us, so I’m excited about the people involved in those searches right now, and I look forward to sharing those in the near future.” Players were involved in the decision. To what degree, we don’t know. General manager Eric DeCosta described the hiring process as a two-week sprint. He likened it to the draft with a much shorter runway, in which Ravens luminaries fielded near constant calls. Involved in that process, DeCosta said, was a small group of players split evenly among offense and defense. None of which were named specifically. They tried to pick all veteran players to be involved, virtually or in person. “We had some guys on Zoom, and we had some guys that were in person, and they met with all the finalists,” DeCosta said. “So, over the last week of the process, they met with all the candidates that were coming in, and I can also say that some of our players are still involved in the process and will be involved with the process as it pertains to coordinators and other hires as well, which we’re excited about. Their opinion was valuable and very helpful.” Over the past week, Minter has had conversations with Lamar Jackson and Kyle Hamilton. He called Jackson “the best player in the National Football League” and described Hamilton as “a weapon on defense.” Thursday’s news conference did not reveal much in the way of details about player involvement in the decision to hire Minter. But there was a leadership group dialed in, and some of the players are voicing their opinions as Minter builds his staff. Chain of command isn’t changing John Harbaugh made waves when, upon being ousted in Baltimore and promptly hired in New York, he took his uncommon organizational structure with him. The head coach and general manager both report to one person: the owner. It worked in Baltimore for many years with Harbaugh and DeCosta each reporting to Steve Bisciotti. Bisciotti recently downplayed the dynamic, saying that if there was ever a standoff, a hands-off owner could be the tying vote but that a standoff never occurred. The Ravens won two Super Bowls that way, DeCosta pointed out, “and we believe in that system — working together, fighting together and figuring things out together.” The Giants are getting used to that change with Harbaugh. The Ravens plan to keep that dynamic status quo with Minter. “I think it’s a partnership with Eric and I, and that’s really what I was looking for in this whole process was a partnership and somebody that you really, really trust,” Minter said. The decision to maintain a similar power structure says as much about Minter as it does the Ravens’ belief in how they operate. When Harbaugh texted Minter, “they should hire you,” perhaps he knew they’d be a good fit in that respect. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. View the full article Quote
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